Government diverts up to £75m from scrapped Rwanda plan to Border Security Command for ‘autumn crime crackdown’

Published

4 months ago

September 17, 2024

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The government has diverted up to £75m from the scrapped Rwanda plan to fund the new Border Security Command ahead of an immigration “crime crackdown”.

Yvette Cooper, the home secretary, said the agency will “deliver a major overhaul and upgrade in law enforcement against smugglers and trafficking gangs to boost our border security”.

The immediate cash injection will fund new covert cameras and monitoring technology, the Home Office said, alongside the recruitment of new staff in the Border Security Command (BSC).

The uplift will also help establish a new unit to “improve intelligence collection across UK police forces and information flows to partners”, and increase numbers of prosecutors working in the Crown Prosecution Service.

The Rwanda scheme was introduced by the previous Conservative government in a bid to deter migrants from crossing the English Channel in small boats.

Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer scrapped the plan as soon as his party came into power in early July.

Shortly afterwards, Ms Cooper announced an audit of the monies sent to Kigali as the Labour administration looks to find ways to save or recoup cash committed under the Conservatives.

One estimate placed the total cost of the Rwanda scheme to around half a billion pounds by April 2027.

The Border Security Command was a key feature of Labour’s election manifesto, with Sir Keir pledging before polling day to send around £75m a year to the scheme.

The home secretary said: “Criminal gangs are getting away with undermining our border security and putting lives at risk.

“The Border Security Command will deliver a major overhaul and upgrade in law enforcement against smugglers and trafficking gangs to boost our border security.

“State of the art technology and enhanced intelligence capabilities will ensure we are using every tool at our disposal to dismantle this vile trade.”

As part of this BSC uplift, the National Crime Agency (NCA), the police and other law enforcement partners would receive significant funding boosts. This would all be as part of efforts to disrupt people-smuggling gangs in the Channel.

Rob Jones, the director general of operations at the NCA, said the funding will “allow us to improve and extend our technology, data exploitation, and capacity-building both internationally and in the UK”.

Politics

UK will play its ‘full part’ in peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine, says Sir Keir Starmer

Published

1 hour ago

January 16, 2025

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UK will play its 'full part' in peacekeeping efforts in Ukraine, says Sir Keir Starmer

The UK will play its “full part” in peacekeeping in Ukraine, Sir Keir Starmer has said.

The prime minister told Sky News’ political editor Beth Rigby that the conflict with Russia was not just about “sovereignty in Ukraine” but about the impact it also had on the UK, including the cost of living crisis.

Sir Keir was speaking to Sky News while on a surprise visit to Ukraine on Thursday – his first since his party’s landslide election win six months ago.

The purpose of the trip was to discuss the next steps for Ukraine, with the situation now more uncertain following Donald Trump’s election victory in November.

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Mr Trump, whose inauguration takes place on 20 January, has said he wants a peace deal between Russia and Ukraine within 100 days.

But some European leaders fear pushing Kyiv into a deal could lead to Ukraine ceding some of its territory to Vladimir Putin.

Sir Keir said he did not want “to get ahead of ourselves” but that the UK would play its “full part” in any peace negotiations – including by deploying British troops for peacekeeping.

Asked if he would be prepared to do that, the prime minister replied: “Well, I don’t want to get ahead of ourselves, but I do have indicated that we will play our full part – because this isn’t just about sovereignty in Ukraine.

“It’s about what the impact is back in the United Kingdom and our values, our freedom, our democracy. Because if Russia succeeds in this aggression, it will impact all of us for a very, very long time.”

On arriving in Ukraine to meet President Volodymyr Zelenskyy, a Russian drone was shot over the sky over the presidential palace.

Sir Keir said the drone threat was “a reminder of what Ukraine is facing every day” and that the war was brought about by “Russian aggression”.

Elsewhere in the interview, Sir Keir was asked about his views on Ukraine’s longstanding desire to join NATO – something President Putin strongly opposes.

At a NATO summit in Washington last summer, the alliance’s members announced that Ukraine was on an “irreversible” path to NATO membership.

“We fully support Ukraine’s right to choose its own security arrangements and decide its own future, free from outside interference. Ukraine’s future is in NATO,” the declaration said.

However, Mr Zelenskyy has somewhat tempered his language around NATO membership, telling Sky News in an exclusive interview in November that a ceasefire deal could be struck if Ukrainian territory he controlled falls “under the NATO umbrella” – allowing him to negotiate the return of the rest later “in a diplomatic way”.

However, Mr Trump has acknowledged Moscow’s opposition to Ukraine joining NATO, saying: “Russia has somebody right on their doorstep, and I can understand their feeling about that.”

Watch the full interview with Beth Rigby and Sir Keir Starmer on the Politics Hub with Sophy Ridge at 7pm.

Politics

Trump’s potential Treasury secretary pick ‘sees no reason’ for US CBDC

Published

2 hours ago

January 16, 2025

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Trump’s potential Treasury secretary pick ‘sees no reason’ for US CBDC

The president-elect cannot officially nominate anyone until after he is inaugurated on Jan. 20, but the US Senate has been holding hearings to question his potential picks.